What you dont want to find lying on your side deck........

[West Coast]

Glanced down while stepping off the boat the other day, spotted the a rivet lying on the side deck. Well, the barrel part of the rivet, approx 5mm dia. The rivet head was missing, no signs of corrosion on the rivet barrel but looked like the rivet head had sheared away.

I reckon it has most likely come from the mast - cannot think of any other deck kit which uses rivets. I went up the mast to check all the rivets, nothing obvious, all exposed rivet heads were present and (seemingly) correct. However, not re-assured as the offending rivet head could just be stuck in place, but not doing anything. The mast is original on a Starlight 35, built 1993.

My cruising plans for this year are for coastal cruises round scottish coasts, so plan to keep a careful eye on the mast and lift out next winter for careful check over.

Anyone else had this problem? Should I be worried?

 

[Strolls]

IIRC Nostradamus posted about this a few weeks ago - found a rivet like this on his deck months ago (maybe even a couple of years ago) and only just recently discovered where it came from.

 

[savageseadog]

It's quite common to find rivets inside spars, I'm talking about the boom as well, especially if there's been any work on them. They can drop out.

 

[Deleted member 36384]

A nubile wench.

 

[typhoonNige]

We found several prior to and during our recent trans-Atlantic trip but they were not a cause for concern. Our gooseneck fitting had recently been re-riveted and those I was finding were the old ones which had been drilled out and dropped inside the (deck stepped) mast, only to roll out after a bit of swell. The drill marks were a giveaway!
Could yours have appeared from some repair work in the past in a similar way?

 

[Iain C]

Common dinghy racing tactic. Duck a stbd tacker very close the their transom, chuck a clevis pin/split pin/shackle pin into their cockpit, then look at their rig, pointing, and pulling the facial expression you use when getting into a bath that is much too hot.

 

[mjcoon]

Common dinghy racing tactic. Duck a stbd tacker very close the their transom, chuck a clevis pin/split pin/shackle pin into their cockpit, then look at their rig, pointing, and pulling the facial expression you use when getting into a bath that is much too hot.

Yes, modern equivalent of Joshua Slocum's tin-tacks (IIRC)...

Mike.

 

[Triassic]

I had a similar moment last year. Sat there having breakfast mid week during a regatta when I saw a clip lying on the cockpit floor. Now I only have two of those on the boat, one at the gooseneck, the other securing the pin at the top of the forestay (my only forestay....). It took me 30 seconds to check the gooseneck...... and then about two more to get the spinnaker halyard attached to a bow fitting! I'm then stood there wondering if I want to risk going up a mast on the one halyard left when my crew member asks what's going on. I show him the clip I had found at which point he confesses to having been going through the spares box the night before and he might have dropped some of the "fittings" on the cockpit floor! Now whenever I visit a competitors boat I take a pocket full of appropriate "drops" with me for entertainment value!

 

[West Coast]

We found several prior to and during our recent trans-Atlantic trip but they were not a cause for concern. Our gooseneck fitting had recently been re-riveted and those I was finding were the old ones which had been drilled out and dropped inside the (deck stepped) mast, only to roll out after a bit of swell. The drill marks were a giveaway!
Could yours have appeared from some repair work in the past in a similar way?

Could well have - I will check the offending rivet for signs of drilling.

 

[A1Sailor]

My cruising plans for this year are for coastal cruises round scottish coasts, so plan to keep a careful eye on the mast and lift out next winter for careful check over.

Anyone else had this problem? Should I be worried?

What kind of supervision do you have in mind? Checking it is still there each morning?

 

[West Coast]

What kind of supervision do you have in mind? Checking it is still there each morning?

Something like that! Rivet heads pinging out randomly on a windward bash are generally a giveaway sign............

 

[Bobc]

Common dinghy racing tactic. Duck a stbd tacker very close the their transom, chuck a clevis pin/split pin/shackle pin into their cockpit, then look at their rig, pointing, and pulling the facial expression you use when getting into a bath that is much too hot.

Chhers for that mate. Won't fall for that one again